Music Box

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Music Box

PG-13,

1989,

2h 3m,

Drama

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75%

20 Reviews

Tomatometer

76%

2,500+ Ratings

Popcornmeter

75%

Tomatometer

20 Reviews

76%

Popcornmeter

2,500+ Ratings

Attorney Ann Talbot (Jessica Lange) leads the defense of a Hungarian immigrant accused of Nazi war crimes, Mike Laszlo (Armin Mueller-Stahl). But this isn't just another case for her -- Laszlo is her father. Ann is sure that he's innocent, and intends to convince a jury that her client is the victim of a far-reaching Communist conspiracy. But, as she digs deeper into her father's past, Ann discovers some startling secrets that open up new mysteries.

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Jay Boyar

Orlando Sentinel

Jun 12, 2013

5/5

Amazingly, director Costa-Gavras and screenwriter Joe Eszterhas navigate these perilous waters smoothly.

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Roger Ebert

Chicago Sun-Times

Jan 1, 2000

2/4

What I particularly disliked about Music Box is that it takes the easy way out. It is not about guilt or innocence; it is a courtroom thriller, with all of the usual automatic devices like last-minute evidence and surprise witnesses.

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Richard Freedman

Newark Star-Ledger

Jan 14, 2026

1.5/4

[It] breathes a bit when Mueller-Stahl is on screen, but the rest of the time the ponderous "Music Box" is buried beneath mountains of standard courtoom-melodrama cliches.

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Rene Jordan

El Nuevo Herald (Miami)

Dec 2, 2022

A brilliant little box of surprises. [Full review in Spanish]

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David Nusair

Reel Film Reviews

Dec 16, 2021

3/4

...a better-than-average courtroom thriller...

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Ryan Murphy

Miami Herald

Aug 17, 2021

3.5/4

[Jessica] Lange without angst is like Tyson without punch. She's the era's Sarah Bernhardt, a tragedienne with soignee soul. In Music Box... Lange is at her furrowed-brow best.

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Costa-Gavras

Director

Jessica Lange

Ann Talbot

Armin Mueller-Stahl

Mike Laszlo

Frederic Forrest

Jack Burke

Donald Moffat

Harry Talbot

Lukas Haas

Mikey Talbot

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Synopsis

Attorney Ann Talbot (Jessica Lange) leads the defense of a Hungarian immigrant accused of Nazi war crimes, Mike Laszlo (Armin Mueller-Stahl). But this isn't just another case for her -- Laszlo is her father. Ann is sure that he's innocent, and intends to convince a jury that her client is the victim of a far-reaching Communist conspiracy. But, as she digs deeper into her father's past, Ann discovers some startling secrets that open up new mysteries.

Director: Costa-Gavras
Producer: Irwin Winkler
Screenwriter: Joe Eszterhas
Distributor: TriStar Pictures
Production Co: Carolco Pictures Inc.
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Dec 22, 1989, Original
Release Date (DVD): May 20, 2003
Box Office (Gross USA): $5.1M
Runtime: 2h 3m
Sound Mix: Surround

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